Climate Smart Communities

In September 2019, the City of Long Beach was designated as a Climate Smart Community by New York State. Climate Smart Communities (CSC) is a New York State program that helps local governments take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate.

Towns become certified by completing a suite of actions that mitigate and adapt to climate change at the local level. Communities can choose from over 100 action items, each providing a specific amount of points, and must score at least 120 points to become a certified Climate Smart Community. Action items are split into categories such as energy-efficiency upgrades, renewable energy adoption, land-use policy, resiliency enhancements, and more. The City completed 22 action items for a total of 124 points.

The City accomplished an array of projects to achieve the designation, such as building a greenhouse gas inventory, upgrading streetlights to more efficient LED technology, adopting rooftop solar on government buildings, conducting a climate vulnerability assessment, participating in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System, hosting climate-related public events, and much more. For a full list of completed actions, click here.

As a Climate Smart Community, Long Beach can receive higher scores on grant applications for state funding. The City also gets access streamlined access to resources, training, tools, and expert guidance. Most importantly, however, the program provides a robust framework for organizing local climate action and identifying opportunities to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

---

 The CSC program is jointly sponsored by the following six New York State Agencies: Department of Environmental Conservation; Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA); Department of Public Service; Department of State; Department of Transportation; and Department of Health. For more information on the program visit https://climatesmart.ny.gov.